A man who spent £30k on Barbies says his 600-doll collection inspired his drag career.<br /><br />Nick Panula, 29, bought his first in March 2014 when a doll in a floor-length pink satin gown caught his eye at the supermarket. <br /><br />He couldn't help but buy more whenever he saw a different model - and soon ended up with 600.<br /><br />Some he has kept in their original boxes, while a few are opened.<br /><br />He also has three Barbie Dreamhouses, three Barbie cars, two boats, one plane and three Magical Mansions.<br /><br />Nick performs as a drag artist under the alias Scarlett Crypt and says his look and performances have been influenced by Barbie.<br /><br />Nick, who works as a dental laboratory technician in the US Air Force, and is based in Anchorage, Alaska, US, said: “My love of Barbie stems from a very young age - and I think the reason I collect her is because she has such a tie to nostalgia for most people throughout the decades.<br /><br />“I only had one Barbie growing up - a Virginia Tech Cheerleader Barbie from 1996 - I had her for two years from the age of six, then I wasn’t allowed to play with Barbies anymore.<br /><br />“I started collecting Barbies in March 2014 when my friend and I stopped in a Walmart before seeing a show downtown.<br /><br />“I saw this beautiful Barbie staring back at me - a red carpet look, with long, blonde curls wearing floor-length pink satin. She just screamed: ‘Barbie!’"<br /><br />Nick then decided to buy the 75th Anniversary Wizard of Oz Barbie and kept it in its box.<br /><br />He added: “On Christmas 2014, my boyfriend at the time bought me that year’s Holiday Barbie - which was very special.<br /><br />“I bought myself another one - unboxing one and keeping the other in its original packaging.<br /><br />“Shortly afterwards, I started buying Barbies on eBay."<br /><br />Nick believes Barbie’s impact on pop culture keeps him coming back for more - and is a bigger draw for him than Bratz, MyScene or Sindy dolls.<br /><br />He said: “I was always trying to play with Barbies as a kid, when I got the chance.<br /><br />“I was never interested in Bratz particularly - my cousins had a few and I thought the feet were weird.<br /><br />“I believe I collect Barbie because she has such a tie to nostalgia and an impact on pop culture for most people throughout the decades.”<br /><br />Since March 2014, Nick has spent an estimate of £20k to £30k on Barbies alone - which comes from his salary and savings.<br /><br />He likes to keep them in mint condition - and regularly buys them from “thrift stores, flea markets and eBay” - as well as being regularly gifted them by friends, family and TikTok followers.<br /><br />If he can’t buy a Barbie inside its original packaging, Nick likes to take care of them as much as he can - by storing them out of direct sunlight and regularly dusting them.<br /><br />He said: “I like to keep my Barbies in the best condition possible.<br /><br />"I store my dolls and accessories out of direct sunlight, away from moisture, and try to keep them dust free.<br /><br />“To save space when my dolls aren’t on display, I keep them in plastic storage bins.”
